Why did Marcellin Berthelot turn away from his successful research in organic synthesis around 1864 to devote himself to the difficult and uncertain path of thermochemistry? Jean Jacques and others have argued that Berthelot’s shift can be seen as a result of his flawed understanding of the emerging atomistically based theories of structural chemistry; a sense that he was being left behind by this field, it is maintained, led him to try something different. In contrast, I will argue that thermochemistry was a logical progression of Berthelot’s overarching desire to predict chemical action, a great challenge in the middle of the nineteenth century. Berthelot hoped and expected that synthesis and chemical industry would transform the conditions of our existence. He asked such questions as: What substances can we expect to create? From which reagents? And most important: how can we tell in advance whether a particular chemical reaction will occur?

中文翻译：

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Berthelot 从合成到热化学的途径

为什么 Marcellin Berthelot 在 1864 年左右放弃了他在有机合成方面的成功研究，转而投身于艰难而不确定的热化学之路？Jean Jacques 和其他人认为 Berthelot 的转变可以被视为他对新兴的基于原子的结构化学理论的错误理解的结果。一种他被这个领域抛在后面的感觉，它保持着，促使他尝试不同的东西。相比之下，我认为热化学是 Berthelot 预测化学作用的总体愿望的逻辑进展，这是 19 世纪中叶的一项巨大挑战。Berthelot 希望并期待合成和化学工业将改变我们的生存条件。他问了这样的问题：我们可以期待创造哪些物质？来自哪些试剂？最重要的是：我们如何提前判断是否会发生特定的化学反应？